"Discovered as three notebooks in an antique store in Rome at the turn of the millennium, Infinite, previously published as The Reincarnationist Papers, offers a tantalizing glimpse into the Cognomina, a secret society of people who possess total recall of their past lives."
Interesting concept - looking forward to reading.

3"moderately intriguing, mildly entertaining, wildly inconsistent and quasi philosophical" stars !!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Blackstone Publishing for an ecopy. This was originally published in 2009 and this edition was re-released in May of 2021. I am providing my honest review.

Where to start with this one ? Ok I found this to be a mildly entertaining read but at times I was quite immersed. The ideas and premise are really excellent and I feel that this easily could have been a four or 4.5 star book.

Reincarnation and remembering past lives is at the core. There is a secret society and a young man who through this group discovers that he is one of the few that can remember his past lives. The plot line is well done and we witness his and others' experiences over many millenia.

The buck stops there though.

The characterizations leave a lot to be desired but are not terrible. Middling at best.
The prose is the biggest detterant to this book being rated more highly. Parts of it are easily four star bur most of it is more 2.5 star and unfortunately small sections veer into one star category. This leaves this reader wanting not just more consistency but more of what is excellent.

The philosophical ideas are absolutely fascinating but often come in the form of awkward dialogue and info dumping rather than more naturally fitting them into the plot.

Overall enjoyable but I will not be moving forward into the series.

This has been made into a film and if I watch (which I would like to do) I will report back.

I started reading it so many times that I was sure I would find it captivating, but I couldn't connect with the author's style. Maybe I'm not the right kind of reader for this book, or maybe I was expecting something different, but I failed to connect with it.

While the concept of this book is fascinating and it starts strong, this book still manages to lose its intrigue as the story progresses. If it weren't for the audiobook, I probably would not have been about to make it through this book on my own.

This was...confusing. The premise/synopsis seemed really promising, but the story itself didn't make much sense, which makes me wonder why it's being made into a movie. I just wanted more to happen and to make sense and then it just ended.

The premise of The Reincarnationist Papers is actually really cool. I couldn't wait to read it because I love the idea of reincarnation. I do kind of feel like the story wasn't executed very well. I probably got halfway through the book and just stopped reading it because (I don't know if this will make sense) there's a lot going on and not enough at the same time. What I mean is that we're getting a lot of information but there's no sort of action to kind of make the plot interesting. It started off great though where the main character is basically running from the cops and is ultimately saved. Afterward, it slows down a lot, and ended up losing my interest. Maybe this will be a book I will try again later on.

The Reincarnationist Papers by D. Eric Maikranz is a book soon to be suspenseful contemporary fantasy movie that is sure to be a summer hit. Evan Michaels and Poppy find that they have been reincarnated superhumans who apart of the Cognomina transform the world.

This book started off quite interesting with Evan's life as an arsonist for hire on display. There was an exciting chase scene and with a gunshot wound, he ends up begging for sanctuary from a church. There the plot got a bit boring and the author (predictably) threw in sex scenes to spice up the book.
However, thankfully, there were some interesting scenes to make up for the boring ones. I particularly enjoyed the flashbacks of some of the characters and the way there was historical verification throughout made me feel like this story could be true and there really are some immortal beings walking around remembering their past lives up to centuries ago. I felt like some scenes could have been cut while others could have been more detailed.
Evan seemed a bit naive to me but I liked him. I did, however, feel like Poppy could have gone a bit easy on him. Samsa, another member of the Cognomina, was also a bit manipulative of Evan in my opinion.
This book is being made into a movie and I have to say I feel like it would do better as a movie than a book. I would definitely watch this movie.
Due to sexual scenes, I would suggest this book be read by adults only

I really enjoyed the Reincarnationist Papers, by Eric Maikranz. In particular, the descriptions of settings, events and characters was quite good. There is a bit of an "info dump" occasionally, but the interesting premise and readability of the book overall make up for these short comings.

See my review/interview with the author which goes live on YouTube by end of day on 5/15/2021 : https://youtu.be/jesAcEtyh_o

How would you live your life if you knew that no matter what you did—good or bad—there would be no consequences to your actions? You’d just come back as a new person. And you’d remember all your past lives. Evan Michaels vividly remembers his two past lives which makes him think he’s insane until he discovers the Cognomina, a secret society of people just like him who remember all their past lives, some going back thousands of years.

Such an interesting concept! The story focuses on Evan and his initiation into the Cognomania. And in doing so, relates tales of some of the other past lives of members of the society. I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to watch the movie starting Mark Wahlberg this June!

Thank you, @netgalley and @blackstonepublishing for the advance copy of this book! Although, the erratic line breaks in this unedited copy made it super annoying and difficult to read. You could’ve put a little more effort into it before sending it out for review.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / The Reincarnationist Papers by D. Eric Maikranz / Pages: 415 / Genre: Sci-Fi

This book intrigued me from the beginning it was definitely an interesting read.

The characters especially the main character Evan Michaels has an amazing character arc and I really enjoyed seeing it take shape.

It is definitely an interesting read.

Disclaimer: I received the e-book of this book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: The Reincarnationist Papers

Author: D. Eric Maikranz

Book Series: The Reincarnationist Papers Book 1

Rating: 3/5

Recommended For...: sci-fi fans

Publication Date: January 13, 2009

Genre: Science Fiction

Recommended Age: 18+ (sex, drug usage, violence, gore)

Publisher: Parallax Publishing

Pages: 324

Synopsis: The electrifying book that introduces readers to the Cognomina, a secret society of people who possess total recall of their past lives. "Haunted by memories of two past lives, a troubled young man stumbles upon a centuries-old secret society of similar individuals and dares to join their ranks." Evan Michaels' now public account takes us into this organization whose members have been agents of change throughout history.

Review: This was an ok book. I liked the concept and the plot. The book also did well with the world building and it made me want to watch the movie for the most part.

However, I did feel like the book was really slow. The flashbacks weren’t exciting from a reader’s perspective. The book was also too straight forward and I didn’t like how the author threw in sex and drugs for no plot relevance, it just felt like it was trying too hard to connect with the readers.

Verdict: It was ok, but not for me.

One Sentence Summary: Evan hasn't really fit in since he turned 18 and received memories from two previous lives, but that changes when he meets Poppy, a woman like him.

For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by the idea of previous lives and reincarnation. I went into this book knowing only that it had to do with past lives, and didn't really read the description beyond that. I was a little lost when I first started reading, not sure if the book started with the Author's Note or the first notebook, but the story unfolded really well, if a bit boringly. Actually, since this has been made into a movie coming out later this year, I thought it made a better movie than book.

The Plot: Moves Like Molasses

Evan has been estranged from his parents for the past three years, ever since he turned eighteen and started remembering past lives. Since then he's made his way to L.A. to become something of an arsonist for hire. On the heels of his most recent job, he's chased and injured by a cop, but hides so isn't discovered. Instead, a mysterious woman named Poppy finds him and patches him up.

Poppy has some suspicions about him, which are quickly confirmed. So she whisks him off to Zurich to meet others like him, and her. The goal is to be accepted by them. But these people have led extremely long, very complicated lives, and they're not above trying to influence and use Evan because of who he and they are.

The Reincarnationist Papers wasn't exactly what I thought. Actually, there was so little overall movement within the book that I wasn't sure what was supposed to be happening. It's about a guy who can remember past lives wanting to join a group of people just like him. That's basically it. Some action is built in at the end, but, otherwise, it's kind of a bland story with a cinematic quality.

This book is divided into three notebooks that, supposedly, the author, Maikranz, came across and translated. They document Evan's life from just before he meets Poppy to the time he hands off the notebooks to someone he meets. Overall, most of it doesn't span a huge amount of time, until the very end. Each notebook kind of felt like it's own story, so the book felt like it was divided into thirds, with a major event happening during each.

I must say, the beginning completely lured me in. I found it gritty and raw and so detail oriented. It's about Evan starting a fire. It was so well done that I almost felt like I could feel the flames. From there, I thought the rest of the book would be more of the same: intense and raw. Instead, it wasn't really action packed until the reader gets to the third notebook. Most of the movement felt like it was done in comfort and was so easy. Otherwise it was a lot of sitting and talking and questioning. My attention did, unfortunately, wane as the story wore on, but the pace was even and the whole book was actually a fairly easy read.

What I did like were the historical stories told by some of the characters Evan meets. They take the reader back and forth in time, but the quality seemed to fade with each story. Still, I found them interesting and hope they're historically accurate. There are footnotes here and there to fact check the story, but I have yet to fact check the foot notes. Anyways, I always love when history and immortality are woven together, so this book pleased me on that front.

As I mentioned, there's a cinematic quality to The Reincarnationist Papers. As I was reading, I could totally see it as a movie, see how the cameras might pan and how the script might handle the back and forth in time. But it made for an odd reading experience. Reading it was actually a tad boring. There isn't really anything exciting or interesting going on to hold a reader's interest. I don't know if I would see the movie, but I'm also curious to see if the book or movie is better considering the author wrote this with the goal of seeing it made into a movie.

The Characters: People With Immortal Souls

As The Reincarnationist Papers deals with characters who are, essentially, immortal, it was both difficult and easy to get to know them. On one hand, who they were didn't really change, but the body changed and it wasn't always easy to keep them all straight. But it was an interesting exploration of what life might be like if your soul lived forever, how you might change, be changed, or not be affected. I liked that it gave a look into how ancient souls viewed life, from introspective to living a life of excess with few cares or concerns in the world to treating life as disposable. I do wonder if any of them ever became attached to a particular body or a particular life or if they continually found themselves in similar places no matter the time or place. Overall, I was a little disturbed by the overall lack of regard for life, but found the relationships between them fun and interesting.

Evan is the main character. He's the one telling the story, the one who left the notebooks behind. He felt the most disposable of all the characters, the one everyone else jerked around because he's new and his soul will live forever, and they know it. He himself felt reckless and adrift, perhaps because he's realized he'll just keep coming back over and over? I didn't like that he never seemed to develop a true sense of himself and instead let everyone else in the Cognomina yank him around. But it does make me curious to know how he will evolve the more lives he lives.

The Setting: World Wide, Back and Forth in Time

The Reincarnationist Papers is set all over the world and back and forth in time. Actually, my favorite parts were the little stories peppered in about different members of the Cognomina's past lives. I thought most of those were exceptionally well done and helped give me a more solid sense of time and place. I just wish there had been more of them.

It was fun to travel around the world with the characters. Most of it was set in L.A., Zurich, and Tunisia and I did think I got an adequate sense of place. L.A. felt the most familiar and the most gritty. Zurich actually kind of felt rather refined. Tunisia was dusty and the least advanced. One thing that bothered me was that Evan spent a good chunk of time in Zurich, but, other than where he and the rest of the Cognomina were staying, there wasn't much actual exploration of the city. Evan did go out a few times to sight see, but the reader wasn't privy to any of it.

Overall, the settings felt suitable and gave just enough sense of place with neither too much nor too little detail, but I was a bit bothered by how it felt it had been written more for cinematography than as a book. Almost as though it had been conceived as a movie first and then novelized.

Overall: Maybe Better as a Movie?

The Reincarnationist Papers appealed to me because of the premise. I find past lives fascinating, so was really interested in this book. Unfortunately, it left me wanting, though I can absolutely see how it lends itself to being a movie. But that's one thing that bothered me throughout the book. Instead of enjoying the story, thoughts of how it might look on the screen kept intruding. The entire middle part was also a huge lull. There wasn't actually much happening. Only the beginning and end were exciting, and the premise was definitely the best part of this book.

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Even though this had a slow start IMO not long afterwards it sucked me in! I'm honestly glad I held on!
Its going to be interesting to see what they do in the movie.
It is hard to put this book down as it takes you on a wild ride!

This is one of those books that I think will make an incredible movie. However the book itself just didn't work for me at all. The book felt like it was all over the place with flashbacks. I think those will work out a lot better in movie form. Overall, this story felt very flat and not all that exciting. I didn't really care about the characters either.

THE REINCARNATIONIST PAPERS by D. Eric Maikranz is a slow ride adventure novel. The main character, Evan, discovers he has been reincarnated and can remember his past lives and then encounters the Cognomina, a secret society of people just like him. The premise is extremely interesting and I thought this one would be right up my alley since it’s kinda like The Da Vinci Code with the secret society and all and I loved that book but this one doesn’t hold up at all. I appreciated the diverse characters that included young and old and many different ethnicities and the many different settings but this book was very slow moving and too long. There were footnotes throughout the book which I found very detracting. There were many sections that were just stories from past lives that didn’t lend anything to the plot or character building. The sex scenes felt like they were thrown in because “sex sells”. The entire book was lacking some high stakes excitement such as a more good vs evil theme or countdown clock. I’d still watch the movie Infinite which is based on this book though. Hopefully the movie brings the excitement!
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Thank you to the author via NetGalley for my advance review copy!

I hate writing reviews like this, but here's my honest opinion. The concept of this book sounded very cool. It was my most anticipated read of the year... but oy vey, by the end I felt like I was banging my head against a wall just to finish it. The entire thing felt like a boring transition from one disjointed event to the next, with the promise of something exciting just about to happen. It never did. There was an insane amount of detail for things that really didn’t matter and didn’t contribute at all to the development of the story.

There wasn’t much to the underlying message besides that the only point to life is to have fun at whatever cost since the characters are never held accountable for their actions. And I HIGHLY disagree with the author's message at the end, finding it highly problematic for people that struggle with mental health. I won’t even say what it is for fear of giving it life and I doubt anyone (except masochists like myself) will even make it that far into the book.

I’m so upset with myself for wasting hours of my life on this, but really only did so because Mark Wahlberg, Dylan O’Brien, and Rupert Friend are starring in the film adaptation.

Time travel, flashbacks, and deja vu abound in this book which I’m sure will translate into an exciting movie. But as a reader, I had some difficulty following with so much jumping around, but otherwise enjoyed the story..

This book has an extremely interesting and difficult premise, but I found that it fell short of meeting that potential. While I understand the necessity of flashbacks and a multi-pov, I found that it was difficult to maintain any proper or realistic character development. I think that was perhaps my biggest issue with this book. I just didn't see any character growth and didn't feel any attachment to the characters. It felt flat and very one-dimensional.

As this is the author's debut novel (as far as I am aware) I won't judge them too harshly yet. But I do think that for future novels they need to work on creating more development in the characters and interest in the plot.

The Reincarnationist Papers started strong with a fascinating premise and a compelling protagonist. However, the book suffered from a serious case of plot bloat, with huge swaths of the book that were ultimately unrelated to the overall story, and an ending that made it feel like the book got lost and wandered into the wrong room.

Evan is a 21 year old professional arsonist who lives in a flophouse in LA and spends his free time pondering the noose he leaves hanging in his room. He has inexplicable full vivid memories of living two previous lives and suffers from an understandable amount of resulting existential dread.

One day, while running from an arson job, he is shot by the police and seeks sanctuary in an old church, which is inhabited by Poppy, a beautiful, wealthy young woman who treats his wound and helps him hide. As they spend time together and begin a romantic relationship, Evan reveals his secret to Poppy, who also reveals that she, too, has lived several previous lives and is a member of a secret society of other such individuals. She agrees to take him to Zurich where he will be initiated into their brotherhood of "reincarnationists."

Up to this point, the story is mostly entertaining.

When they arrive in Zurich, Poppy is evasive and flaky and hooking up with anyone and everyone, and Evan, feeling unmoored, begins getting to know the other reincarnationists. He befriends a few of them, they have lots of uninteresting and drawn out dialogue, he goes back the homes of a few of them and lives with two different ones for a while, yada yada yada, yawn.

He then inexplicably goes on an art heist which lasts a few pages, inexplicably betrays a friend, inexplicably gets thrown in jail, then the story inexplicably ends.

The end.

I wish I had just quit reading halfway through and gone to bed, because losing sleep in the hopes that the story would get better was a bad gamble.

(Inexplicably) this story is being made into a movie, Infinite, starring Mark Wahlberg. Looking at the IMDB, I see Evan's character but I don't recognize the other character names. This gives me hope that the screenwriter took what was an awesome premise and made it into a good story.

I'll probably see it.

So, anyway, I would not recommend this book. But, as always, your mileage may vary.